Loose-leaf ledger or binder.



'PATENTED DCT. 18, 17904..

E. o. SUGKBRT.

LOOSE LEAF' LEDGBR 0R BINDER. 'y articulos rILnD 001217. 1003.

UNITED STATES vPatented October 18, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD C. -SUCKERL OFADETROIT, MICHIGAN..

Loose-LEAF LEDeRoR BINDER.

' K SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 772,847, datedOctober 18, 1904.

Application filed 0ctober17,-19 O3.

T0 @all whom, it may concern/5 Be it known that I, EDWARD C.. SUCKERT,a'v citizen of the United States of America, residing at Detroit, in thecounty of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Loose-Leaf Led g- I ers or Bind ers,of which thefollowing is a speci-v fication, reference being had therein to theaccompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in temporary binders of theJclass known as loose-leaf ledgers; and its object is to provide a deviceso constructed that it may be veryveasily and quicklyy extended toincrease its capacity; and it consists of few parts, mak-` ing it simpleand cheap.

A further object of the invention is to so attach the covers to the backas tomake aflatopening book and so as to prevent themetal parts fromcontacting the desk or table upon which the book may be placed and alsoto prov vide certain other newvand useful features, all

as hereinafter more fully described, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in whichv v Figure lis a plan view of a deviceembodyving the invention, showing the inner side of the same when open.Fig. 2 is an enlarged end elevation of the same; Fig. 3, a transversesection on the line fr of Fig.l 1, and Fig. 4 a sectional plan view ofthe back on the line g/ y of Fig. 2. I

As shown in the drawings, A represents the covers, secured to the back Bby providing.

each cover. with a bar 1, which is attached thereto bywrapping aroundsaid bar the leather strip, which is attached to thev inner edge of thecover and forms the ordinary flexible connection 2 between the cover andback, and gluing the same thereto, said bars being firmly secured byscrews 3 to the upwardlyextending side fianges of the back with theirlower edges extending below the plane of the back to prevent the metalback from contacting the desk upon which the book may be placed.

The back B consists of two parts, 4 and 5, movable one upon the other,the part 4 being provided with a lip 6 at each end, which is turnedupover the end of the part' 5 and holds v ber.

Serial No. 177,389. (No model.)

the parts together, and each part is bent at and turned inward to formeyes 8 at their upper edges. The eyes 8 are cut away at intervals toreceive the ends of the binding members 9 and also the adjusting member10, which members are detachably held in place at one end to extendacross the back to the opposite flange through openings providedtherefor in the edges of the leaves or other matter to be bound by'a rod11. extending through the eye on the flange and openings 12 in the endsof the binders and adjusting mem- This rod 11 is detachably held inplace by being bent at right angles at one end to engage a spring-clip13 on the side flange 7 of the back.

Each binding member 9 consists of two tubular parts of a size totelescope one within the other and curved throughout their length, sothat the leaves at the center ofv the book will be raised higher thanthose next the covers, thus allowing the leaves to lie much more `nearlyat when the book is opened than they could if the binders were straight.v

The adjusting' member 10 for moving the two parts of the back toward andfrom each other to increase or decrease the capacity of the binderconsists of providing a tubular member 14, secured at one end to theside flange of the yback by the rod11, as described, anda tubular member15 to receive the tube 14, said telescoping tubes formingacasing for theadj usting-screw 16, which engages the internally-screw-threaded end ofthe tube 14 and is secured at its opposite end, together with the tube15, to the side flange of the back opposite that to which the tube 14 isattached by rods 17 extending inward from each end of the binder throughthe eye 8 on said flange and through an opening in the end of the tube15 into engagement with a groove 18, formed in a head 19, which fitswithin the end of said tube. The adjusting-screw and its casing- IOOment of the ends of the rods 17- with the groove 18, and a socket 2O isprovided in the head of the screw to receive a key 21 for turu ing thesame. These rods 17 are held within the eye 8 with their inner endsengaging the groove by screws 22, inserted in the'outer ends of saideye, and these rods also extend through openings 23 in the en'ds of thetelescopic binders to pivotally secure the same to the ange of themember 4 of the back.

To move the ends ofthe two parts of the back equally, so that the part 5will not bind in the guides 6, two flat bars 24 and 25, pivotallysecured together by a rivet 26 intermediatetheir ends, are pivotallysecured at one end to the parts 4 and of the back by the rivets 27, thebar 24 to the part 4 and the bar 25 t0 the part 5. At their oppositeends these bars are slotted at 29 longitudinally to receive the rivets28 on the back, the bar 24 being thus attached at this end to the partand the bar 25 to the part 4, and thus when the back is extended orcontracted by turning the adjusting-screw 16 the parts will move freelyand easily upon cach other as power is applied equally to each end ofeach part and are limited in their movement by the slots 29, the rivets28 engaging the outer ends of said slots when the back is fullyextended.

By securing the covers to the back at a point below the upper edges ofits side flanges to which the binders are attached the leaves will lienearly flat when the book is opened, and by employing1 theleather-covered bars 1 to secure the covers to the back the back isstrengthened and at the same time prevented from contacting the table ordesk.

The leaves are out away opposite the adjusting member 10, so that saidmember will in no way interfere with the movement of the leaves or theirinsertion or removal, and when the leaves are punched to form openingsto receive the binders itis necessary to remove the rod 11 to releasethe binders before the leaves may be inserted. It is preferable,however, to form these openings in the leaves with a slot-openingthrough the edge of the leaf, so that by extending the back new leavesmay be slipped over the binders without detaching them, the upward curveof these binders, which curve is increased as the back is extended,greatly aiding in inserting these leaves. These slotted leaves arefirmly held against removal when the back is again contracted, as it isnecessary that there be room to bend or separate their lower corners inorder to remove the leaves.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim is- 1. Incombination with a back having side flanges extending at right anglesthereto, of bars secured to the outer sides of said flanges with oneedge at a distance from the edge of the flanges and the other edgeprojecting beyond the face of the back, covers, and iexible stripsextending around said bars to cover the same and secured thereto and lothe edges of said covers to flexibly unite the covers to the bars.

2. The combination with a back consisting of two parts adjustable towardand from each other, of binders each consisting of two menibers upwardlycurved throughout their length and adapted to telescope one within theother, and means for pivotally connecting one end of each member of eachof said binders to the back.

3. The combination of a back consistingol two parts adjustable towardand from each other, flanges on said back extending at right anglesthereto and formed with eyes at their edges, a tubular member having aninternal screw-thread and provided with an opening, a rod extendingthrough the eye of one [lange and the opening in the tubular member topivotally secure the same to the flange, a tubular easing having anopening near one end and adapted to receive the tubular member, anadjusting-screw in said casing to engage the screw-thread of the tubularmember, and provided with a groove near one end, and rods in the eye onthe other flange projecting through the openings in the casing and intothe groove in the adjusting-screw vto pivotally secure the casing to theflange and hold the screw in place.

4. The combination with a back consisting of two parts guided to slideone upon the other, a bar pivotally secured at one end to one part nearthe end thereof and provided with a slot near its opposite end, apivot-pin extending through said slot to pivotally secure the end of thebar to the opposite part of the back near the opposite end of the back,a bar pivotally secured at one end to that part of the back to which theslotted end of the other bar is secured and provided with a slot nearits opposite end, a pivot-pin extending through said slot to pivotallysecure the slotted end of the bar to the opposite part el the. back, arivet to pivotal] y secure the bars together at their crossing-point,side flanges extending at right angles to the back, and binding memberspivotally secured at their ends to said flanges and each consisting oftwo parts adapted to telescope one within the other.

The combination of a back consisting o l two parts guided to slide oneupon the other; a side flange on each of said parts extending at rightangles to the back; binders pivotally secured at their ends to saidllanges; bars each pivotally attached at one end to one part oi the backnear one end thereof and at its opposite end to the opposite part at theoppositie end of the back, and pivotally secured to gether at theirpoint of intersection; and an adjustingmember consisting of a tubularcasing attached at one end to one of the flanges,

-au adjusting-screw within said casing, and

provided with a socket for the engagement ol a key to turn the same, anda tubular member attached at one end to the opposite flange with itsopposite end extending within the leasing and provided with an internalscrewthread to engage the screw-threadof the adjusting-screw.

6. The combination with covers; of 'aback consisting of overlappingparts,v one part being provided with guide-Hanges to engage the otherpart; side flanges on said parts extending at rightangles thereto andformed with eyes at their upper edges, bars each pivotally attached atone end to one part of the back near one end thereof and at its oppositeend provided with a slot engaged by a rivet on the opposite part at theopposite endof the back and both pivotally seeuredtogether at theirpoints of intersection; an adjusting member consisting of a tubularcasing member provided with an openingnear one end, an adjusting-screwwithin said easing having a head provided with a groove opposite theopening `in the'easing, and a tubular member to telescope within theeasing and provided with an internal screw-thread and an opening nearone v end; binders each consisting of teleseop1e tubular parts curvedthroughout their length and provided with openings in their ends; a rodto extend through the eye on one iange and the openings in one end ofthe binders and adjusting member; rods withinl the eye on the oppositefiange extending inward from the outerends thereof and engaging thegroove Witnesses:

OTTO F. BARTHEL, LEWIS E. FLANDERS.

